Starting with the essential: supporting those who support Brazilian talent
With deep expertise and strong recognition in their respective fields—ranging from supporting diverse women in technology and developing young leaders to training public school educators—the four nonprofits, Reprograma, Ensina Brasil, Nova Escola, and the Latin American Leadership Academy (LALA), have together already impacted more than 1.4 million people in recent years. Now, they are preparing to go even further.
Closing gaps with methodology and purpose
Although these organizations master the art and science of education, the academic path often does not offer opportunities for them to develop management competencies crucial for expanding the scale and impact of their initiatives. Yet literacy in execution strategies can bridge the gap and unlock greater impact.
Recognizing this, VélezReyes+ decided to bring its beneficiaries into the McKinsey.org Ability to Execute (A2E) for Nonprofits learning journey. As Bruno Cani, Principal at VélezReyes+, explains: "When we talk about education [in the nonprofit sector], there are several issues affecting each organization (e.g., team management, agenda prioritization, understanding the 'why' behind things). A key differentiator of this partnership is having a structured methodology to help entrepreneurs who haven't been exposed to these trainings before."
The program puts the best of McKinsey at the service of the community, enhancing the reach of nonprofit organizations. In the first stage of the partnership, a 6-month learning journey was delivered in which participants learned and practiced nine essential skills to facilitate, optimize, and enhance the work they do. "The program has been helping us in our daily lives, from the simplest to the most complex issues. Today, our meetings are much more effective, we've managed to waste less time, and our communication is much more fluid," shares Fernanda Faria from Reprograma.
Building bridges – inside and outside organizations
For Simone Reis, from Nova Escola, a standout feature of the skills developed within the program is that they are not specific to a single function, but "can reach all levels, from assistant to executive".
Beyond the content, the opportunity to connect with people facing similar experiences and challenges gave participants a sense of community. They could see that, in a safe space, the exchange of best practices results in a stronger ecosystem. Alan Rodrigues, from LALA, reinforces this idea: "One of the main learnings from the program is relating to other organizations. The exchange helped us identify where we could improve."
The development of a shared vocabulary is another great achievement of the program, allowing for objective alignment within organizations. Fernanda Caloi, from LALA, highlights: "When everyone speaks the same language, we can achieve better and more collaborative results. This methodology helps us to use the few resources we have to do more."
Ana, from Ensina Brasil, adds: "This work with McKinsey.org was very important for us to have an even more qualified and effective team with a common language." Letícia Cardoso, from Reprograma, points to the practical results: "The overall impact here was the optimization of our routine and internal communications."
Prioritizing is the way
In the field of education, there are many challenges. With scarce resources, it becomes even more important—using the program’s language—to identify the “Big Rocks."
Flávia illustrates how "Big Rocks" became an Essential Skill at Ensina Brasil: "Today, at the end of all meetings, the question is: what is the priority? This was unthinkable a while ago. Now, we have a team that can, in fact, prioritize the big rocks, discuss idea generation, and anticipate risks."
With this new way of working, organizations can focus on what truly matters. Ana, from Nova Escola, summarizes the final impact: "With this common language and well-oiled processes, we can work collaboratively to deliver what public-school teachers really need."